Bootable Windows External Drive For Mac Boot Camp

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Jan 04, 2014  OK, having just completed getting Windows 8.1 via Bootcamp up and running on my nMP, that was a little bit of a chore, all things considered. Things to consider that I ran into: Windows on a SATA internal hard drive will not boot from a USB Enclosure (Did not know that). Mar 20, 2019  How to install Windows 10 on your Mac mini with an external drive Need to run Windows natively on your Mac mini but can't partition your disk? Here's one solution! Finally, we'll need the Boot Camp Windows support files. Start Boot Camp Assistant from Spotlight. From the menu bar at the top of your screen click Action. Mar 22, 2018  How to Create External Windows 10 BootCamp Drive for Mac and PC. How to Make Windows 10 Boot Camp Usb Stick Mac OS X. Tech Wery 103,053 views. Bootable Windows 10 On External SSD.

I have an external USB SSD install with Windows 10.


On my MacBook Pro 15' mid 2014 I can press option on boot and it will show up and I can boot to Windows.


However when I try on my MacBook Air 13' early 2015, pressing option on boot doesn't show up the external USB SSD, only macOS partition is shown. When I boot in to macOS, I can view the external USB thus the USB port is not faulty, I also try again on my MacBook Pro and its able to boot up to Windows with no problem

Bootable windows external drive for mac boot camp assistant


How to access it on my MacBook Air? I tried on both USB ports doesn't work.


The only different is on my MacBook Air I turn on FileVault which is require by my company while the MacBook Pro don't as I use at home.


Any help is appreciated. Thanks in advance.

Mac Boot From Flash Drive

MacBook Air, Mac OS X (10.7.5)

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What you need to install Windows 10 on Mac

  • MacBook introduced in 2015 or later
  • MacBook Air introduced in 2012 or later
  • MacBook Pro introduced in 2012 or later
  • Mac mini introduced in 2012 or later
  • iMac introduced in 2012 or later1
  • iMac Pro (all models)
  • Mac Pro introduced in 2013 or later

The latest macOS updates, which can include updates to Boot Camp Assistant. You will use Boot Camp Assistant to install Windows 10.

64GB or more free storage space on your Mac startup disk:

  • Your Mac can have as little as 64GB of free storage space, but at least 128GB of free storage space provides the best experience. Automatic Windows updates require that much space or more.
  • If you have an iMac Pro or Mac Pro with 128GB of memory (RAM) or more, your startup disk needs at least as much free storage space as your Mac has memory.2

An external USB flash drive with a storage capacity of 16GB or more, unless you're using a Mac that doesn't need a flash drive to install Windows.

A 64-bit version of Windows 10 Home or Windows 10 Pro on a disk image (ISO) or other installation media. If installing Windows on your Mac for the first time, this must be a full version of Windows, not an upgrade.

  • If your copy of Windows came on a USB flash drive, or you have a Windows product key and no installation disc, download a Windows 10 disk image from Microsoft.
  • If your copy of Windows came on a DVD, you might need to create a disk image of that DVD.

How to install Windows 10 on Mac

To install Windows, use Boot Camp Assistant, which is included with your Mac.

1. Use Boot Camp Assistant to create a Windows partition

Mac Os Boot From External Drive

Open Boot Camp Assistant, which is in the Utilities folder of your Applications folder. Then follow the onscreen instructions.

  • If you're asked to insert a USB drive, plug your USB flash drive into your Mac. Boot Camp Assistant will use it to create a bootable USB drive for Windows installation.
  • When Boot Camp Assistant asks you to set the size of the Windows partition, remember the minimum storage-space requirements in the previous section. Set a partition size that meets your needs, because you can't change its size later.

2. Format the Windows (BOOTCAMP) partition

When Boot Camp Assistant finishes, your Mac restarts to the Windows installer. If the installer asks where to install Windows, select the BOOTCAMP partition and click Format. In most cases, the installer selects and formats the BOOTCAMP partition automatically.

3. Install Windows

Unplug any external devices that aren't necessary during installation. Then click Next and follow the onscreen instructions to begin installing Windows.

4. Use the Boot Camp installer in Windows

After Windows installation completes, your Mac starts up in Windows and opens a ”Welcome to the Boot Camp installer” window. Follow the onscreen instructions to install Boot Camp and Windows support software (drivers). You will be asked to restart when done.

Bootable Windows External Drive For Mac Boot Camp
  • If the Boot Camp installer never opens, open the Boot Camp installer manually and use it to complete Boot Camp installation.
  • If you have an external display connected to a Thunderbolt 3 port on your Mac, the display will be blank (black, gray, or blue) for up to 2 minutes during installation.

How to switch between Windows and macOS

Restart, then press and hold the Option (or Alt) ⌥ key during startup to switch between Windows and macOS.

Bootable Windows External Drive For Mac Boot Camp Help

Learn more

If you have one of these Mac models using OS X El Capitan 10.11 or later, you don't need a USB flash drive to install Windows:

  • MacBook introduced in 2015 or later
  • MacBook Air introduced in 2015 or later3
  • MacBook Pro introduced in 2015 or later3
  • iMac introduced in 2015 or later
  • iMac Pro (all models)
  • Mac Pro introduced in late 2013

To remove Windows from your Mac, use Boot Camp Assistant, not any other utility.

Mac Os Boot From External

For more information about using Windows on your Mac, open Boot Camp Assistant and click the Open Boot Camp Help button.

1. If you're using an iMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, Late 2014) or iMac (27-inch, Late 2013) or iMac (27-inch, Late 2012) with a 3TB hard drive and macOS Mojave or later, learn about an alert you might see during installation.

2. For example, if your Mac has 128GB of memory, its startup disk must have at least 128GB of storage space available for Windows. To see how much memory your Mac has, choose Apple menu  > About This Mac. To see how much storage space is available, click the Storage tab in the same window.

Booting Macbook From External Drive

3. These Mac models were offered with 128GB hard drives as an option. Apple recommends 256GB or larger hard drives so that you can create a Boot Camp partition of at least 128GB.